


Fishing Maniac Eika-San: The Passion of Hidden Feelings! Romance and Eel Fishing!

by Ling_Xiaojie



Category: Sky Girls (Anime)
Genre: Blended continuity of main series and DVD specials, But I liked the show when I was younger, Drunk love confessions, Eika is now 18 for obvious reasons, Elize isn’t here because I had no idea how to write her in, F/M, Fishing, Fluff and Humor, I’m extremely late to the fandom, Karen trying to play matchmaker, Otoha being oblivious, Rivalry, Romance, Slice of Life, Togo/Eika is my OTP, Tsundere, Tsundere-and-Smartass Pairing, rated for language, snarking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-12-27 15:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21121337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ling_Xiaojie/pseuds/Ling_Xiaojie
Summary: The four Fishing Maniacs (the three O.G. Sky Girls plus Commander Togo) are on a weekend retreat to do some serious eel fishing, but after Togo gets royally wasted on their first night at the hotel, Eika, his eternal fishing rival, finds herself caught in his proverbial net, whether she likes it or not. Can these two star-crossed rivals overcome their differences in order to bring home the big catch? ...Yes, this is yet another shameless ship fic. Takes place in the continuity of the “Fishing Maniac Eika-san” DVD shorts, with elements of plot and characterization from the main series.





	1. Inopportune Confession

It had been a heck of a day, to be sure. It wasn’t really intended to be, but what with all the spa treatments, the frenzied rush from garden to gift shop and back again, and of course, the beer (not least consumed by the only of-age member in the group), everyone in the Fishing Maniacs party was utterly exhausted once midnight drew near and the fiercely warm, shining lights in and around the rooms throughout traditional Japanese hotel began to strain the eyes.

Otoha’s and Karen’s arms were all laden with souvenirs packed in thin, eco-friendly gift shop bags and their skin glowed from massages and hot spring steam. Walking slightly ahead of them, their fearless leader, Eika, still clad in her straw hat and cargo vest, carried one or two bags of her own, but down at her side so as not to draw attention to them (unlike her teammates, who bore them proudly pressed against their chests and stomachs). Karen and Otoha giggled with excitement and even Eika wore a vague suggestion of a smile as they strolled through the corridors of the hotel, intending to retire to their room, when just then Otoha remembered something.

“Hey, where’s old Togo?”

The other two girls stopped in their tracks. They struggled to remember where last they’d left their commander. Where was he? Where _was_ he?

Eika’s spine stiffened. She had some idea of where he was, but she didn’t want to admit it.

Karen spoke first. “Um...perhaps he’s still in the bar...”

Eika stifled a groan at Karen’s words. The last thing she wanted to do right now was walk straight into a hotel bar in full view of twenty or thirty intoxicated, slovenly men who would turn their heads and leer at the sight of anything remotely female, to say nothing of being obliged to publicly acknowledge her affiliation with Togo, who by now was no doubt either unconscious in his seat or making a jackass out of himself in some other way. She sighed. “It can’t be helped. I guess I’ll have to go and get him out of there.”

“We’ll come with you, Eika-san,” Otoha volunteered eagerly. “Won’t we, Karen-chan?”

“Oh! Err...” Karen wasn’t too pleased with the idea of her cursed motionslit suit being gawked at by a bunch of old drunks either, but she tried to comfort herself with the fact that at least she wouldn’t be alone. “Yes, of course,” she said. “But I think we’d better leave our things in our room first. After all, suppose he’s so drunk that he can’t even walk and we have to help him?”

“You’re right there,” Otoha said with a giggle. Eika winced. The thought of having to guide a grown man through the corridors of a public building where anyone who passed by would surely stare at them made her sick.

. . .

The pungent scent of saké gradually strengthened as the three girls neared the bar. “Okay,” said Eika, with a deep breath of resolve, then turned to her comrades. “Ready?”

Karen and Otoha nodded hesitantly.

Eika nodded back. “Good. And remember, try to be inconspicuous.”

“Roger,” her friends whispered in unison.

Well, any chance of being inconspicuous went straight out the window when Otoha announced their arrival by calling Togo’s name loud enough for the entire bar to hear. Everyone who hadn’t passed out craned their necks to look at the three new arrivals. Karen’s face went red and Eika clenched her fists as they became the immediate centre of attention. Resolving to give Otoha a piece of her mind later, Eika made not a sound and started a brisk walk across the room in order to find Togo quickly and escape with as much dignity as possible.

They found him at the far end of the counter on a bar stool, only barely conscious and reeking of alcohol. Otoha shook his shoulder to try and rouse him, with little success other than a grunt of discomfort from their sloshed commander.

“Togo-san, please get up,” Karen said gently. “The bar’s about to close, and we have to get you to bed.”

“Come on, old man, up you get. The party’s over,” Eika ordered, trying to get him to sit upright.

He merely shoved her away. “Geddoff me,” he grumbled. “Shtop mehkin’ all ’at noize. Peepuhl trynnna shleep.”

Eika was livid. She certainly didn’t plan on spending all night here being made a fool of. “Otoha, help me get him by the arms. Karen, see if you can help him stand.”

Karen nearly jumped. “W-what?”

Their leader scowled. If she had to sacrifice her dignity just to get out of this place, then Togo would have to as well. “We’ve no other choice. We’ll have to drag him out of here.”

Otoha and Karen nodded and did as they were told, and the three unfortunate girls struggled to bring an unwilling Togo to his feet and slowly headed for the exit. All eyes were on them, and they heard some snickering going on behind them.

Just a few more steps, Eika told herself. Togo’s head hung toward his right shoulder. His hot saké breath stung Eika’s nose. The tip of his short beard tickled her ear. She grit her teeth and pushed toward the exit, trying to ignore the leers, jeers, and lewd comments being muttered at their expense by other patrons.

_How’d_ _that_ _scruffy_ _loser_ _snag_ _three_ _hot_ _lolis_ _like_ _that? _one wondered out loud.

_They’re_ _probably_ _escorts_ _or_ _something_, said another. _Just_ _look_ _at_ _how_ _they’re_ _dressed!_

_Damn, _said a third. _He_ _must_ _be_ _loaded_. _Either_ _that_ _or_ _the_ _three_ _of_ _them_ _are_ _cheap_ _as_ _hell_.

Eika’s eye twitched. Karen looked ready to cry. It was then that Otoha decided she’d had enough. She stopped dead in her tracks and puffed up her chest as much as possible. “Shut up, all of you!” she bellowed. “This is Commander Souya Togo. He’s a former military ace pilot and you should respect him!” The sheer volume and courage in her voice took everyone by surprise, including her two comrades. For a split second, there was silence.

“And,” Otoha added quickly, “he just so happens to be my cousin!”

Eika was impressed. Not the best lie, but an effective one. Even the possibility that they could be related hushed up the escort comments. But this was no time to relax. They all hurried out of there just as quickly as they could before anyone had a chance to talk back.

“What about the drinks?” the bartender called after them.

“Put it on the room tab,” Eika shouted over her shoulder, and at last they were in the corridor, headed toward their rooms.

. . .

“It’s a mercy our rooms are on the same floor as the bar,” Karen said to break the awkward silence with something other than Togo’s drunken humming of the “nomeru zo” song. “I don’t think he could handle a walk up the stairs in this state.”

“He’s not the only one,” Eika groaned through set teeth.

Togo raised his head. He squinted his eyes at Eika as if trying to remember who she was. “Isshō...? Izzat you, Isshō?”

She let out a deep sigh. “Yes, commander. It’s me, Ichijō. Sonomiya and Sakurano are with me also.”

“Ssommiya an’ Sahkuaro,” he repeated. “Nass good. You girlsh allook great dish eveng.” Togo attempted a laugh that ended in a hiccup. “Sho...hwerr’we goinn?”

“Well, commander, seeing as you’re completely inebriated, which we expressly warned you not to do, we’re bringing you to your room so you won’t bother anybody,” Eika said bluntly, surprising her two friends.

“Eika-san, should you really be saying things like that?” asked Karen.

“It’s not like he’ll be able to remember,” was Eika’s response.

. . .

At last they reached the door, which of course was locked.

“Hurry,” whispered Eika. “Where’s his key?”

The girls set about fumbling through Togo’s pockets. He tried to swat their hands away.

“Wai’mminute, izzish a robbery?” he demanded.

“Shhh, no, Togo-san,” Karen shushed him. “We’re looking for your key.”

Another hiccup. “Why you shree need my key for?”

Otoha rolled her eyes. “So we can ransack the room. That’s why,” she said sarcastically.

But Togo didn’t seem to get the joke, and would have hollered for the police if Eika hadn’t clamped her hands over his mouth just in time. “Stop joking around and find that key!” she hissed at Otoha. “You want him to wake up the whole floor?!”

With a sheepish look, Otoha fished deep into Togo’s side pocket and grasped something metal with serrated edges. “Okay, this is either his key or a Swiss Army knife. Either way it’ll get the door open.”

Eika’s eyes narrowed. “What did I just say about jokes?”

Fortunately enough, it turned out to be his key. The girls unlocked the door and hustled the drunken angler into the room.

“Alright,” said Eika, bending over to catch her breath, “at least we made it.”

Otoha let out a yawn. “What now?”

Eika exhaled quietly. “You two are tired and you’ve done more than enough. I’ll handle it from here.”

“A-are you sure?” Karen asked, her brow furrowed.

“I don’t want either of you to go to any more trouble on his account.” She softened her gaze a little bit to reassure them. “Don’t worry, I’ll join you in our room in a minute.”

Karen stood. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

Eika nodded and said goodnight to her teammates. Once they were gone, she turned her attention to Togo, who was back to humming and struggling to shake his bomber jacket off his shoulders. She cringed again. “I feel like a freaking nursing home worker,” she said under her breath. “Come on, then. I’m going to get your jacket off.”

“Tha-hanks, Isshō. Yerr a good frenn.” He tried to hug her, but she slipped out of the way and began helping him off with his jacket. Once his arms were free, she tossed it out of the way.

“Y-yerr the besst, Isshō. Ya’know zhatt?”

Deep breaths. “Yes sir. Thank you, sir.” She uncovered the futon. With what little strength he had left, Togo feebly crawled towards it. Eika could barely bring herself to watch. He looked like a rag doll that was desperately trying to mimic human movement. He let out a loud whine of pain as his head hit the pillow.

Eika relaxed her shoulders. _Well,_ _I’ve_ _done_ _all_ _I_ _can_ _do._ “Goodnight, commander,” she said tiredly, moving towards the door. “I hope you feel better tomorrow.”

Togo moaned out an unintelligible reply. Just as Eika was about to leave, she heard him say something else. “I...I love ya, Isshō. I love ya.”

A cold finger dropped down her spine. She felt heat rise in her face. A million options went through her head at once. She didn’t know what to do. Yell? Ask what he meant? Ignore it? Run? Stay? Before she could talk herself out of it, she left the room and slammed the door shut behind her.

For a while, she just stood there in the corridor, head bowed and hands shaking. Of all the things that she had expected to happen today, a love confession from her superior while three sheets to the wind was certainly not one of them. _He_ _loves_ _me. He_ _said_ _he_ _loves_ _me. What_ _am_ _I_ _supposed_ _to_ _do_ _with_ _that? _It wasn’t unlike Togo to periodically flirt with her, but as far as she knew, he’d only meant it as a joke. A way to get on her nerves. Just another facet of their ongoing rivalry. She didn’t think it was meant to be anything serious.

She shook her head. _Why_ _am_ _I_ _so_ _worked_ _up? Drunk_ _men_ _say_ _stuff_ _like_ _that_ _all_ _the_ _time. Sometimes_ _even_ _to_ _each_ _other_. _He_ _doesn’t_ _really_ _love_ _me_. _At_ _least_ _I_ _hope_ _not_. A deep breath. _It’s_ _okay. By_ _tomorrow_ _morning, he_ _won’t_ _even_ _remember_ _saying_ _such_ _a_ _stupid_ _thing. _Stiff-legged, she slid open the door and entered the room she was sharing with Otoha and Karen.

. . .

“And this is what I bought for Takumi-san,” Karen said, holding up a small plush toy of a smiling dog in a chef’s hat.

“That’s adorable, Karen!” Otoha squealed. “It’s perfect for him!”

Karen looked nervously from side to side. “I-I know it’s kind of silly, but I just wanted to make him happy, you know?”

Otoha nodded. “I think he’ll like it a lot.”

“Yes, hopefully he will. Oh, by the way, did you buy anything for Tachibana-san?”

At the mention of Ryohei, Otoha immediately became defensive. “W-what?!” Angrily, she folded her arms and turned her head away. “Why would I get anything for that idiot?”

“Oh, really?” Karen teased. “Then who did you buy that motorcycles calendar for, I wonder?”

“Mind your own business, big nosey!”

Karen stifled a giggle. Just then, they heard the door open. Eika came into the room and found both girls seated on the futons, in their pyjamas.

“Eika-san!” Otoha called. “Come on over and let’s all show each other what we got at the gift shop! Karen-chan was just showing me hers!”

Karen noticed Eika’s deadened expression and scarlet cheeks straight away. “Eika-san, is something wrong? You look as if you’re running a fever.”

“I’m...fine,” she managed to croak out.

“N-no,” Karen insisted, “I’m not sure you are.”

Otoha’s eyes seemed to spark fire. “Was it Togo-san? Did he do something stupid? What did he do?!”

Eika tried to relax by removing her hat and vest. “Nothing. He just mumbled some rubbish that I couldn’t make head or tail of, and then he passed out.” She knew her friends were just trying to help. They were sweet like that. But she just didn’t have the heart or the nerve to tell them what was making her so upset. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just exhausted.” Without another word, she left to change.

Karen wasn’t entirely convinced, but, not wanting to seem argumentative, she let the matter drop. Still, she was almost certain that something had happened between them in Togo’s room. She hoped it wasn’t anything indecent. _Surely_, _even_ _when_ _drunk,_ _he_ _wouldn’t_..._and_ _if_ _he_ _had, surely_ _Eika-san_ _would_ _have_ _said_ _something... _Regardless of what had happened, it was clear that the atmosphere had changed, and everyone was a little more on ice than they had been when the getaway started. Karen pinched her nosebridge. The inherent drama that always seemed to arise from socialization between opposite sexes was never something she handled well or ever wanted to become involved in. Whatever the case, she would have to wait for tomorrow’s fishing trip for things to smooth over.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Otoha sliding underneath the futon cover beside her and yawning loudly. “Night, everyone~” she drawled, lying her head down.


	2. Lord of the River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: the beginning of this chapter is the other reason for the “T” rating.

The motionslit was off. A relief too, he’d always thought those things were tacky. Instead, all he saw was her smooth skin, her slim but supple frame, her arms resting contentedly above her head, the elegant curves of her ample breasts and slender hips through a slinky blue nightgown, so thin it was almost see-through. She was blushing, her head turned slightly to the side. Her long, silky black hair pooled beneath her on the futon as a backdrop to her pale skin. Her half-lidded gaze drifted towards him and her eyelashes fluttered. The next thing he knew, their lips had connected. He felt her warmth, felt her lips entwining with his, felt her body yielding to his touch. His hands ran gently but quickly over her chest. She moaned softly, her lips parting slightly as he planted a kiss on her neck. Her fingers travelled effortlessly through his dark, shaggy hair. Running his hands over her hips, he continued kissing her, lips, cheeks, neck, collarbone, her quiet moans telling him that she was enjoying every second of it. His hands were now on her thighs, and stopped before drifting up underneath the hem of her nightgown, up toward her breasts—

The daylight blazed through the window, stinging his eyes. His chest heaved with shallow breaths. He squirmed underneath the sweat-drenched covers. The afterimages of his dream were still uncomfortably fresh in his mind. _God_, _that_ _was_ _weird._ The next thing he was aware of was a clanging headache of truly heroic proportions. _What_ _the_ _hell_ _was_ _I_ _doing_ _last_ _night?_ He searched his memory, but all that came up was the hotel bar, nothing after. _Alright_. _So_ _I_ _got_ _whammed_ _and_ _somehow_ _made_ _it_ _back_ _here. _Trembling, Togo forced himself to stand upright and staggered toward the bathroom to stick his throbbing head under some cold running water for a good long time. The sight of Eika in that nightgown flashed through his mind again. His heart thumped hard and fast. _How_ _am_ _I_ _going_ _to_ _face_ _the_ _three_ _of_ _them_ _today? __Especially_ _**her**..._

After a shower, Togo sat on the floor, still dripping wet, with his head in his hands, trying to convince himself that he _wasn’t_ a pervert and _of_ _course_ he would have some messed-up dreams after such a wild bender. He looked at the clock and grunted. 11:45 AM. The girls were having lunch by now, and the fishing trip at the river would be afterward. He had until then to pull himself together, find some pain killers, and catch up with the three of them. No matter what he’d done last night or how lousy he felt this morning, fishing was fishing and he wasn’t about to miss it.

. . .

The heat of the afternoon blazed on and the glare of sun danced on the clear mirror of the river. A refreshing breeze drifted through the air, rippling the river’s surface. Seated on the bank, rods in hand and crimped lines in the water, were the three Sky Girls, eyes skinned for eels.

Eika’s hat shielded her face from the glare of the sun as she waited patiently for something to take the bait. The air and the water were still and quiet, except for the sound of the wind rustling the foliage, and Otoha’s stomach growling. Eika and Karen had already eaten lunch, but Otoha had waived her right to a meal because she was certain that—her words—“Eika-san will surely catch the Lord today!” So here the three of them were, at the river, now minus Commander Togo, to Eika’s relief. Karen and Otoha had tried to convince her to wait for him, but she had used her veto power as squadron leader to shut it down. She wasn’t in the mood to face him today. Not after last night. She knew that if she did, she would be forced to confront the possibility of him having feelings for her and the near certainty of her having feelings for him. But, with a bit of luck, perhaps she wouldn’t have to see him for at least a few hours. Maybe he was so badly hungover that he’d have to miss the fishing trip entirely. Maybe the three of them could get through the day on their own. Eika held her breath and gripped her fishing pole until her knuckles went white, hoping and hoping that Togo wouldn’t show up any time soon.

“Hey there.”

Eika turned around and found herself staring straight into the face she dreaded. But something was different this time. The lighthearted smugness she knew him so well for was gone, and in its place, wariness, and a strange vulnerability. As hot as her face was, she could have sworn that Togo was blushing too. _Oh_ _no,_ _does_ _he_ _remember?_ _No, __no, __no, __please_ _no,_ _he_ _**can’t**_ _remember._

Those adorable red cheeks of hers lowered his guard. He indulged for a split second and then snapped himself out of it. _Just_ _calm_ _down. __She’s_ _not_ _that_ _attractive. __She’s_ _not. __She_ _can’t_ _be. __Alright, __so_ _she’s_ _kinda_ _pretty. __But_ _just_ _her_ _eyes. __And_ _her_ _hair__. __Sort_ _of. __And_ _that_ _chin_ _of_ _hers_ _is_ _pretty_ _cute_ _too. __But_ _that’s_ _it. __Stop_ _thinking_ _about_ _her_ _body. __Stop_ _thinking_ _about_ _the_ _nightgown. _His heart started its frenzied thumping again. _Dammit, __I’m_ _staring!_

Otoha came to the rescue. “You’re late, Togo-san.”

It took him a moment to adjust back to the real world. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Yep, I guess I am.”

“What took you so long, anyway?”

“A hangover to end all hangovers,” he replied loftily. He raised his finger and pointed at the three of them. “Let this be a lesson, my young grasshoppers! A vacation is no excuse to be careless with alcohol!” He was acting stupid, to be sure, but he was sure that if he didn’t do something to melt away the tension, the powder keg of awkwardness between Eika and himself was soon to explode.

“But we didn’t do any drinking,” Karen pointed out.

“My point is, every action has a consequence. And the consequence of drinking too much beer—” Togo squinted his eyes “—is to be made the victim of an unholy union between the mother and father of all headaches!”

The girls laughed, and even Eika cracked a tiny smile. It was gone just as quickly as it came, though, and her eyes went cold again. “If you’re here to do a manzai instead of fishing then maybe you should leave.”

Togo smirked at her. It seemed like things were back to normal. Hopefully. He quickly unloaded his tackle and sat down, a little ways off from the group.

Fixing a rod was a simple art, but a crucial one, and Togo was well-versed. Though moving his arms was sometimes difficult and strenuous due to his injury from years gone by, his deft hands as they ran the length of the fishing line into a clinch knot and then crimped it with split shots were as nimble as a spider’s legs spinning a web. With a few flicks of the wrist, the hook was baited with a nightcrawler and the line was cast into the deep blue water. While waiting, he glanced sideways once or twice at the girls to see what they’d caught so far. Otoha, as usual, was behind. Karen was doing decently enough, but Eika’s haul outshined them both. He grinned. It looked like he’d have some catching up to do. “Ichijō!” he called to her. “You’d better be prepared to lose big today!”

“Says the lush with the empty bucket!” Eika flung back.

He loved this. Truly he did. This rivalry of theirs. He could taunt her as much as he wanted and always be able to expect a scathing comeback instead of a quick about-face and an announcement that she was dismissing herself. All the cumbersome formalities of rank and station had been left behind, and the two could compete as equals. Still, something bothered him. Not only the dream, but the exact details of last night. For one reason or another, he couldn’t let it go. What exactly did he do? Why did he suddenly feel so powerless around Eika Ichijō?

“Ugh, I’m still not getting any good ones,” Otoha complained. “I can’t sit here much longer! I have to move my body!”

“Not so loud, Otoha-san,” Karen pleaded. “You might scare the eels.”

“Well, I’m going to take in the scenery,” Otoha said, standing and pulling her reel back in. “It’s too nice a day to be sitting around. See you later!”

“Ah! Otoha-san, wait!” Karen called after her. She reeled in her line as well, then stood up and bowed politely toward Eika. “Please excuse me. I’ll have to go make sure she doesn’t become lost.”

“No, wait, I can—” Eika protested.

But Karen was already on her way, trying to catch up to Otoha. In truth, she knew that Otoha could get along fine enough on her own. This was her excuse to force her two superiors to work out their issues while simultaneously not having to involve herself in it.

Eika heaved a sigh. Fate seemed to be against her today. She fixed her eyes on her lure. On the water. Not looking at anything around her. _It’ll_ _be_ _fine, _she told herself. _Just_ _pretend_ _you_ _don’t_ _even_ _notice._

“It always struck me as odd,” Togo piped up, cutting through the silence with all the gracefulness of a jackhammer, “how Sakurano never seems to catch nearly as many as the rest of us. Didn’t she say she did this part-time back home?”

Her teeth were firmly clenched. He was trying to force her to talk. And worse, it was working. “She was a diver, sir. Not an angler.”

“Ah yes,” came the reply. “That would make a difference.”

Much to her dismay, he shifted closer to her until they were about a foot apart.

Silence again. 

“So...uh, to put it bluntly, how plastered was I?”

_So_ _that’s_ _what_ _this_ _is_ _about. _He had a right to know, Eika reasoned. She was just grateful he didn’t remember everything. “Plastered enough to think you were being robbed when we tried to find your room key,” she responded.

_Wait,_ _did_ _she_ _say_ “_we”? _“You mean...you mean I was so hammered that the three of you had to help me get into my room?” He didn’t know whether to laugh at himself or jump into the river right then and there.

“Unfortunately, commander, we did. As a matter of fact, we had to help you out of the bar as well,” she said candidly.

Togo’s brow crinkled with disgust as he thought about the spectacle he must have caused. “Oh, God. Ichijō, I’m sorry. Were you noticed?”

“By everyone there.”

He hung his head. All those stares and the sneers they must have had to endure. “I see.” That was all he could say.

“Never mind,” Eika reassured him. “Otoha played the ace pilot card, and they left you alone. When someone accused us of being prostitutes, she said you were related to her.”

“So, Sakurano saved our asses, huh?” Togo breathed a sigh of relief mingled with a chuckle. At last, everything was out in the open. “That kid can be clever when she wants to be.”

“Yes.”

“What other stupid things did I get up to, eh?”

Eika hesitated. _Apart_ _from_ _you_ _confessing_ _your_ _love_ _for_ _me?_ “...Nothing, sir.”

He looked over at her with a bit of a frown. “Honestly, Ichijō, we’re on vacation. Do you really have to do that?”

She tried not to meet his gaze. “Do what...?”

“Talk so formally. Always calling me ‘commander’ and ‘sir’ and all that. Why can’t you just call me Togo-san or something?”

Taken aback, the girl drew away from him slightly. _Why_ _is_ _he_ _being_ _so_ _weird?_ _What’s_ _with_ _him_ _today?_ “I-I don’t think it to be proper, that’s all.”

Togo shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to bother your friends.”

Eika bristled a bit. “Of course it doesn’t. They’re still civilians at heart, after all.”

“All the same, you don’t need to be so uptight.”

“I’m not uptight!” Eika almost declared before retreating. _No._ _I_ _can’t_ _give_ _myself_ _away_ _like_ _this._ “I resent your description of my character,” she said stiffly.

Togo shook his head. “Tsk tsk. Back into military mode already, huh?”

While she was pouting, she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders. While she was wondering just what was going on, he leaned in close to her.

“Just for a little while, can’t you forget that you’re my subordinate?”

His beard tickled her ear again. She felt her entire head burn with embarrassment. _Please,_ _please, __don’t_ _let_ _anyone_ _be_ _watching!_

“Listen, Ichijō. The thing about vacations is, they’re always shorter than you think. Enjoy this one while it lasts.” He gave her a smile. His deep green eyes shined mischievously. It seemed his confidence had come back. “That’s an order.”

Eika was about to read him the riot act for playing such a dirty trick, when an abrupt rumbling shook the ground beneath them. In the rippling stream, something large began to rear its head from within the waves. At the exact same time, Togo’s line started singing. Something had taken the bait. He immediately pulled back on the line and tried desperately to reel the large creature in as the ground continued to shake. Tears trickled down his face as he howled in pain from the strain on his arms.

“Commander Togo!” Eika cried. A survival switch had been flipped inside of her. In a panic, she too grabbed hold of the pole and pulled as hard as she could. A monstrous eel’s head rose up from the water.

“This is it, Ichijō!” Togo hollered over the colossal tremors. The look in his eyes was wild and ravenous. “This is it! We have to catch it together!”

“What’s happening?!” Otoha’s voice came from behind them.

Karen screamed in terror as two enormous eyes, followed by a gaping, cavernous mouth like that of an oversized snake rose from the depths. “Could it be—?!”

“Yes!” Eika screamed back. “This is what we’ve been waiting for! It’s the Lord! We’ve caught the Lord of the River!!!”

The monster’s mighty growls, echoing the tremors in the earth, resounded across the water that was now being tossed about by its long herptilian tail like the tides in a storm.

Almost as loud were the battle cries of the two anglers who were struggling to haul the thing up onto dry land. Their hair and clothes streamed out behind them in the powerful winds caused by the leviathan’s movement as they stared it down—a warrior princess and her samurai. They roared louder. They pulled harder. They held tighter. The Lord of the River leapt from the water, silver hook protruding from its lip. It cast a gigantic shadow on all below as it soared into the air. Once it was at its highest point, Eika and Togo exchanged a single nod and gave one last terrific yank on the pole. The Lord of the River sailed, kite-like, high above their heads in all its glory a final time—and with a deafening crash, landed on the ground.

The sheer force and momentum of the pull and the subsequent fall sent the two plummeting likewise, Togo on his back onto the ground and Eika on her back on top of him, both too high on adrenaline and too busy catching their breaths to notice.

After a while, Togo’s heavy panting turned into laughter of sheer relief. His whole body shook as he laughed, still holding Eika tightly. “We’ve done it!! It’s ours now!!” With a triumphant grin, he laid his head back on the ground and saw Karen and Otoha looking down at them. “Well, then, ladies, what do you think of mine and Ichijō’s special fishing technique? I call it ‘First Winter Strike’!”

His excited heartbeats pounded in Eika’s ears. She suddenly felt very self-conscious when she realized that her friends could see her, lying on top of a man’s chest. Recovering her strength, she let go of the rod and stood. “_First_ _Winter_ Strike? What kind of a name for a fishing technique is that? You just slapped the first two kanji of our surnames together.”

“It’s not incredibly creative,” Karen agreed. She turned and looked at the massive writhing beast behind them that was soon to expire. “But the technique itself is undeniably effective!”

“Just look of the size of that thing!” Otoha marvelled. “I knew skipping lunch would be worth it. Way to go, Eika-san and Togo-san!”

The two victorious anglers looked at one another. Togo smiled at Eika, and she couldn’t help but return it. He stepped closer to her. “Nicely done, Ichijō,” he said coolly.

She decided to humour him. “Likewise, commander.”

He extended his hand toward her. “Since we caught today’s Lord of the River together, I suppose that makes us even, huh?”

“Nothing of the kind,” she scoffed, folding her arms. “I’ve caught at least five. This is your first. We’re nowhere near even.”

He cringed dramatically and stepped back as if he’d been wounded. “Ahh, such cruelty!”

Karen sighed. They seemed to have worked things out, one way or another. “Is anyone else hungry besides Otoha-san? I know I am.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?!” Togo hollered, pulling Eika close to him and into a headlock, much to her embarrassment and discomfort. “Let’s grill the sonuvabitch!”


	3. Unadon and Honesty

About an hour later, all four Fishing Maniacs were back at the hotel, seated around the largest unagi donburi any of them had ever seen.

“This is sooo good!” Otoha gushed, well on her way to devouring a lion’s share of the meal.

“Very nice,” Karen agreed. “Normally I’m not too fond of unadon, but it seems wrong to refuse such a fine specimen!”

“Save some for the rest of us, Otoha,” Eika scolded. She narrowed her eyes at her equally indulgent commander, who was seated beside her. “That goes for you too.”

Togo finished slurping up his current piece of eel and wiped his lip, returning the girl’s icy stare. There was a vaguely mocking glint in his eye. “First you ban me from drinking any more than four of these tiny friggin’ glasses worth of saké, now you wanna stop me enjoying the damn eel?”

“Oh, let them eat, Eika-san. There’s plenty left,” said Karen.

“You oughtta be stuffing yourself too, Ichijō,” said Togo. “Why not celebrate your victory, eh?”

Eika flushed with indignation, but kept her composure. “As I said, there’s no need for that when I’ve already had at least five of those victories.” The next thing she felt was her commander’s hand playfully pushing her hat down over her eyes.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to keep up the whole ‘cool’ act with us.”

She smacked his hand away and straightened her hat. “At least I can be cool when I want to be,” she retorted.

Karen smiled to herself. “You two really are good together.”

Both feuding anglers’ ears perked up.

“How do you mean?” Eika wanted to know.

“Oh, nothing,” Karen said innocently.

Maybe it was the faint but lingering aroma of the little saké he’d been allowed to drink, maybe it was the warmth of the room, maybe it was the tight-lipped scowl on his lieutenant’s face, but something stirred Togo’s memory of the previous night. Only brief, sharp flashes that barely lasted an instant, but enough for his hands to freeze up and his chest to tighten with embarrassment. Foremost on his mind was one particular phrase he remembered saying. _I_ _love_ _you,_ _Ichijō. __I_ _love_ _you. _He shuddered inwardly when he realized that he’d had the luxury of not being able to remember, a luxury which Eika did not enjoy. He had drunkenly confessed his love to her last night and she had kept quiet about it all day. Of course, he didn’t blame her for wanting to keep such a thing to herself, regardless of the reason. All the same, he wasn’t sure what to do with this. Should he apologize? Explain what he’d meant? Go on as if he didn’t remember?

No. He had to stop keeping it in. Whether he’d intended to say it or not, regardless of the fact that he hadn’t even remembered saying it until now, it was out now. He had to face up. After all, he might not get another chance.

. . .

Once the unagi was nearly gone, Togo got up and left the room as if he were going to the lav. In truth, he was waiting behind a turn in the corridor for the girls to finish, specifically for Eika. When he heard them leaving, he came out from his hiding place, acting casual. The three young pilots were on their way toward the room they were sharing when Togo called out to Eika, saying he needed to talk to her about something. She obliged, and told Otoha and Karen to go on without her. Otoha didn’t think much of it, but Karen did linger a little to make sure everything was alright before leaving.

“You called, sir?” Eika asked her commander, who stood facing her, a few feet away.

Togo nodded, doing his best to keep his composure. “Yeah.” He let out a long breath and stretched his back. “That was one heck of an eel, wasn’t it? I’m never eating again.”

Eika rolled her eyes, not in the mood for his chronic subject-changing. “Commander, did you call me over to tell me about the eel we just ate?”

He shook his head. “No. Actually,” he explained, “it’s kind of important.”

The girl cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, it’s about last night.” His tone was all of a sudden more grave.

She was quiet, waiting in anxious anticipation for him to elaborate. Togo took in a breath and steeled himself. It was now or never. He counted to himself, one, two, three—and then he looked her straight in the eyes and said it.

“I love you, Ichijō. I love you.”

Dead silence.

Eika’s face was hard to read. Her countenance seemed to go through tiny fragments of different emotions all at once. He kept staring at her, his resolve still unwavering. Neither spoke for what seemed like ages.

“You...remember,” Eika said at last.

“Yeah,” Togo confessed. “It all came back to me during supper.” He scratched the side of his head. “How come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

She lowered her head, fearing a reprimand. “I...I didn’t think you meant it,” she said. “I figured it was just the alcohol talking, and besides, even if you did mean it, you wouldn’t remember having said it, and since nothing else happened, I didn’t think it was worth mentioning today.”

Togo put up his hands. “Easy. I’m not mad. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s alright, sir. I know that when people are under the influence—”

“No, no,” he cut her off. “You misunderstand me. I’m sorry that you had to hear it from me while I was drunk.”

There was another dead silence. It took a moment to sink in for Eika, but she eventually understood what he meant. And when she did, her eyes widened to the size of tennis balls. Her face was the reddest it had ever been as she attempted to hide it in her hands. After that long, protracted silence, she finally mustered enough strength to look at him.

“You mean...you love me?” she managed to squeak out. The words sounded so strange, yet made so much sense. All that flirting, the teasing, and those few sparse moments where he’d shared personal things with her...how could it have been a joke? How could it have been anything but genuine? Was she really so oblivious? Or had she just chosen not to acknowledge it? She didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t known what to do last night, either, but this time she had the knowledge that Togo was in earnest. She didn’t even know what to feel. Upset? Relieved? Scared?

“Yeah. I do.” Togo let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off his chest. He looked at Eika, who seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. “Hey, no need to be so nervous,” he assured her. Casting his better judgement to the wind, he leaned in and pulled her close to him in a tight hug.

For a fleeting moment, she was enveloped by his leather jacket. The heaviness, the warmth, the tight snugness—it was pleasant. Comforting. As she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, she felt...oddly safe. She hadn’t been held this way in so long, but somehow this felt right. Holding him felt right.

Their cuddle ended just as abruptly as it began when Togo gave her soft cheek a peck. To his surprise, she broke into a smile, brushing her face with her hand absentmindedly, as if she were trying to preserve the sensation of his kiss.

Eika looked at him. His expression wasn’t teasing, wasn’t mocking, didn’t show any sign of a desire to one-up her in any way. It was almost tender, very nearly loving. That vulnerability had returned. Though she was not entirely sure what, she felt the need to say something. But just like that, Togo had reverted to his laid-back, indifferent old self again, hands in his pockets, elbows hanging slack at his sides.

“Don’t let this get out, okay?” he muttered confidentially. “Wouldn’t want anyone finding out that the world’s two greatest fishing rivals have a thing for each other.”

Eika was a bit dismayed that the moment was over, but didn’t let it show. “Yes sir,” she said.

“Atta girl,” Togo said with a chuckle as one last taunt to his flustered lieutenant. “See you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yes sir,” she said again, automatically. She was about to turn and walk down the corridor when that gloved hand grasped her shoulder. She turned her confused, slightly alarmed gaze back towards him. His eyes shined at her, eyebrows raised.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he chided her.

Eika was hesitant. She knew what he was asking of her with that coaxing expression, but she figured that she might as well get started if she and Togo really were going to be a couple, even in secret.

“Ahem. T-Togo-san,” she tried it out. He seemed pleased. “I’ll...I’ll see you in the morning.” She gave his hand a squeeze before taking her leave. To her, it sounded strange, not referring to him by rank.

But she figured that, in time, she’d get used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any Sky Girls fans left who happen to stumble across this stupid little thing, thank you so much for reading. I miss this show and the small fandom it had.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read! Please drop a review or kudos!


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